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MP: Focus on West Cumbria nuclear waste dump facts

COPELAND’S MP says residents have “nothing to fear from the truth being known” in light of a Cumbrian tourism group’s calls to oppose a nuclear repository in the county.

Independent Lake District guide Visit Cumbria published an open letter on its website, directing people to a 10,000
signature online petition.

The letter, written by Kit and Charles Graves of Lake District Hotels Ltd, calls for residents to protect the Lake District from having high level nuclear waste buried beneath it.

In the letter, they said: “Our precious environment, the Lake District, faces a quite shocking threat: plans are afoot to bury high-level nuclear waste in Cumbria and possibly in the Lake District National Park...

“The potential damage to our environment is unthinkable.”

Copeland MP Jamie Reed said he welcomed any input into the debate regardless of whether individuals are for or against the proposals.

But he added: “We all must stay focused on the facts. We are nowhere near deciding whether or not to site a
repository, we are simply asking for the geology to be better understood.

“Whether one is for or against the principle of a repository, there is nothing to fear from the truth being known.”

A decision on whether or not to start looking for a suitable repository site is due to be made by councillors from
Cumbria County Council and Copeland and Allerdale Borough Councils on January 30.

Have your say

Easy answer to this issue. Build it at Millom. We have very few jobs in the area & no investment from borough or county councils. The roads/rail networks would benefit from the development. There would be employment for the townsfolk & the school leavers would have an option other than moving out of the county. Being wealthier might increase life expectancy of the townsfolk which is currently one of the worst in the north west. Millom is outside the national park & has only a tiny tourism industry. Local businesses would benefit from increased trade. This would also reverse the neglect the town has endured over the lass 5 decades since heavy industry was closed down. Millom folk need this for survival.